Frog Fetish
by smiles1116
Summary: Yuuki and Naruto are trying to catch frogs. Amidst the fun are Yuuki's memories of her mentor, Jiraiya.


A green overcoat lies on the grassy bank next to a mostly orange one, their owners splashing about in the nearby stream. The girl in a matching set of blue shorts and a t-shirt stands still in the calf-deep water as she watches for shadowy movements beneath the surface. The second male, clothed in a black mesh t-shirt and the pants matching his windbreaker, gains a devious grin as he tries to tiptoe through the water toward a frog that has landed atop a lily pad in the quiet pool of the stream after the short waterfall. He gets closer… and closer… then leaps toward it; the frog leaps out of the way before his hands are even within reach.

Yuuki laughs as Naruto plummets face-first into the stream with his hands squishing nothing but water… again. She stops chasing her own frog he scared off to walk over to the drenched blonde; she pulls him up by the collar, only to have him pull away and sit cross-legged in the water, arms crossed over his chest as he grumbles to himself.

"Geeze, Naruto. I swear I've told you a thousand times not to lunge after them! What's the matter with you?"

Naruto pouts at his older sister, who inherited the fiery mane of their mother. "You're such a know-it-all, Yuuki! There's more than one way to catch a frog, 'ttebayo!"

"Yeah but my way's the best!" She grins at him and squats down next to where he's stubbornly sitting in the water. "Don't you remember why?"

Naruto squints as his brow furrows in thought before shaking his head, looking up at her with wide eyes. "You've always tried to make me catch them your way, but I can't remember why."

Yuuki smiles warmly at him and ruffles his wet blonde locks. "Then I'll tell you again!

"It was before you were born, just after our mom learned she was pregnant with my baby brother…"

Flashback

Yuuki cries out in frustration as she comes up soaked and empty-handed yet again. "This is impossible!"

Her godfather and mentor laughs, the sound a husky rumble within his chest. He moves toward her as her pregnant mother watches from the bank, her father back in the village taking care of his own business. The tall male leans down and lifts her up by the collar to stand on her feet. "That's because you're not doing it right."

The young girl pouts at him, shivering lightly in her blue shirt and shorts. "Yeah, well, that's because your way is dumb, Jiraiya!"

The man laughs and shakes his head, white hair blowing slightly in the breeze. "Then how come I've caught six frogs and you haven't caught any?"

Yuuki points at him accusingly. "Because… you're cheating!"

"How?" Jiraiya folds his arms over his chest, eyes filled with amusement, a cocky half grin etched across his face. The girl crosses her arms, too, and sits down on a rock, pouting.

"… I don't know yet."

Jiraiya laughs and sinks down to sit next to her. "Do I need to tell you the secret again?"

After a long sigh, Yuuki nods. "… I forgot how to catch the frogs."

"You have to be sneaky!" He flings his arms out dramatically with a devious grin. "Quick! Stealthy! Cunning!"

"Like a ninja!" Yuuki cries out gleefully.

"Yes! Exactly like a ninja!" Jiraiya leans in, lowering his voice. "You see, the frogs are cunning little tricksters. And to catch one, you have to be even smarter than they are! They can sense trouble a mile away!"

Yuuki leaps up eagerly with wide eyes. "Then how do I catch one?!"

Jiraiya rises with her. "You have to think like a frog!"

"How do I learn what a frog thinks?!"

"You have to act like a frog!" Jiraiya crouches down on the ground, and Yuuki mimics him, leaving Kushina to laugh to herself as she remembers when Minato went through the same thing… and unsurprisingly had the same trouble. Like father, like daughter… and most likely, their son, as well.

Yuuki gazes at him with wide eyes from her crouched position, hopping along after him. "RIBBIT RIBBIT!"

"No! Never let them know you're coming!"

"Oh! I'm not coming frogs!"

Jiraiya sighs and laughs but continues to hop with her. "Are you ready for the next step?"

Yuuki leaps up onto her feet. "YES!"

Jiraiya rises and stretches. "Now… you have to learn to be patient."

"Now you sound like my mom!" Yuuki pouts at him. "How is being patient going to help me catch a frog?!"

"Because when something moves, a frog will perceive it as a threat. It's something to watch out for, something that can make the frog a meal!" Jiraiya rests a hand atop her head. "But something that doesn't move, like a rock or a lily pad, is something for the frog to jump and sit on. It's a safe place for the frog to rest.

"Now if you are jumping around to catch them, what do you think the frogs will do?" Yuuki furrows her brow as she tries to think, blue eyes clouded with thought.

"They… might jump away."

"Right! And why might they jump away?"

"Because… they think I'm going to try to eat them?"

"Exactly!" Jiraiya does a sidestep dance and throws his arms out. "Now! If you are standing still, what do you think the frogs will do?"

"They… might forget I'm there."

"Right! And why might they forget you're there?"

"Because… I didn't eat them?"

"Exactly!" He throws his arms out again. "And if you don't eat them and they forget you're there, what are they going to do?"

Yuuki thinks about this for several minutes, mulling it over, and finally looks up at him. Just as she opens her mouth, a frog lands on her head. She lets out a startled scream and falls over, the frog leaping off her head and back into the stream as Jiraiya throws his head back and gives a mighty laugh.

"They might jump on my head!"

End flashback

Naruto stares at his sister and scoffs. "There's no way a frog landed on your head!"

"It's true! Every single word!"

"Whatever! But what's the point in catching them anyway?! All we do is let them go again!"

Yuuki grins at him. "Are you going to let me continue the story or not?"

Flashback

Yuuki grins as she holds up her sixth frog of the afternoon. "Jiraiya, look! I caught another one!"

The man grins at her. "Good for you, Yuuki!"

She sets the frog free again and looks up at him. "Jiraiya, what's the point of this? All we do is let them go again."

Jiraiya rises and looks at the sky for a moment, watching as the breeze pushes a cloud past the line of treetops. "Well Yuuki, the reason we're doing this is to get you thinking like a frog."

"Yes, but WHY?!" Jiraiya chuckles at her impatience.

"We're doing this because it shows me how good you are at thinking like a frog. The more you can catch in a short time, the better you think like a frog. You know, I made your dad do this, too. And he wasn't nearly as good at it as you are." He winks at the young girl, who beams. "The point to thinking like a frog is, after all, that thinking like a frog makes summoning them and working with them much easier. Do you want to see?"

Yuuki nods excitedly as he straightens up and clears his throat. After biting the tip of his thumb and tangling his fingers into a few signs, he kneels and hits the ground with his blood-streaked palm. "Toad Summoning Jutsu!"

Beneath his hand appears a plume of smoke, and soon out of the smoke appears a small toad. Yuuki gasps in delight and rushes forward, but she soon skids to a stop with wide eyes as the toad waves and greets her. "Th-the frog said words!"

Jiraiya laughs, the little toad looking rather amused as he speaks. "Yo, Jiraiya, is she the new one?"

Yuuki stares at him then leans forward and pokes at him. "How come he doesn't think I'm going to eat him?"

End flashback

Naruto falls over from laughing so hard then looks up with a grin. "Oi, I bet that was the same toad Jiraiya introduced me to! Hm, what was his name…?" Naruto's brow furrows in thought again, and Yuuki laughs.

"Yes, Naruto, it was Gamakichi."

"Yeah, that's him! Gamakichi!" Naruto's grin fades into a pout. "How come I still can't summon any more than a tadpole?"

Yuuki grins at him and ruffles his damp hair. "Because you're still not thinking enough like a frog… yet."

"But you can do it," Naruto grumbles. "And you did it younger than I am! So what's the problem?"

Yuuki smiles. "You still can't catch a frog."

Flashback

Yuuki stamps her foot with frustration. "It's still just a tadpole!"

Jiraiya shakes his head and shrugs. "Maybe it's just too advanced for you yet. Maybe we should try an easier jutsu… which is really too bad. Not even Itachi can do this jutsu."

He glances at her from the corner of his eye as her head snaps up. "No! No I can do it! I just need some more practice, that's all!"

Jiraiya nods. "Very well, but first… let's make sure you're still thinking like a frog."

Yuuki looks up. "What? Catching frogs again?"

"Absolutely! You notice I've been catching frogs with you, too! It's easy to forget how to think like a frog when you're too focused on summoning a toad! The more you practice, the more natural it becomes, even for a master of frogs like me!" He flashes the girl a dashing grin and strikes a pose, teeth glinting in the setting sun's light.

Yuuki sighs and nods, rinsing off her hands before straightening… and soon diving after a frog. She gasps as she misses, "Oh! I forgot!"

Jiraiya stands and watches her. "Go on, catch a frog."

Yuuki rises and shuts her eyes, taking a breath and calming herself. She stands perfectly still, trying to pretend she's a rock, even muttering to herself. "I'm a rock. I'm not going to eat you, froggies."

After a few moments pass, she opens her eyes, seeing a shadow drifting lazily in the water before kicking forward. Her eyes widen, and she slowly crouches, dipping her hands in the water… then scooping up the frog and yelling in triumph. "I got it!"

"Good! Now summon a toad!" Jiraiya commands.

Yuuki bites her thumb and makes the hand signs before slapping her palm to the ground. "Toad Summoning Jutsu!"

Smoke appears, and as the fog fades, Yuuki laughs in delight. "I MADE A FROG!"

Gamakichi grumbles. "I'm a TOAD!"

End flashback

Naruto nods as she finishes her story. Yuuki finishes, "So you see… my way is the best because it's Jiraiya's way… and Jiraiya's way works."

Yuuki smiles as a frog hops straight onto Naruto's knee. "And look at that!"

"What the heck?! Where were you earlier, dattebayo!" He grabs at it, the frog dodging his feeble attempt at capture and landing on his head. Yuuki laughs helplessly as he tries to grab it, only to have it hop away and disappear into the stream.

"For once, you've been sitting still so long, he thought you were a rock!" Yuuki's words cause her brother to pout as he stands and removes his pants to wring out the water.

"Stupid frog…" He pauses after a moment then whirls around. "Wait! What baby brother?!"

Yuuki blinks at him then laughs, recalling she'd said their mother was pregnant before telling him the story. She throws her arm around his neck and bends him over to knuckle the top of his head amidst his protests.

"Silly! That baby brother is you!"

Yuuki smiles after she drags her exhausted Naruto to bed and tucks him in, knowing she's going to have to leave soon. She kisses his forehead and quietly shuts the door as she exits, having told him to keep practicing thinking like a frog. She wanders the streets toward the hotel room she rented for the last couple of weeks, knowing she's about to go out on a mission that could lead her straight to Itachi…. She shakes her head, not wanting to get wrapped up in those memories again, and instead enters the lonely hotel room and shuts the door. She automatically goes through her nightly routine and soon finds herself sinking down beneath the blankets in the dark room. She forces herself to remember Jiraiya instead of Itachi, not wanting to end up depressed tonight, reminding herself that she came back for a little respite, a vacation, and to see her baby brother again.

Yuuki remembers the last time she saw Jiraiya, her teacher, her only living relative other than Naruto…

Flashback

Yuuki's eyes snap open as she hears movement within the room she shares with her mentor. She listens hard to the odd sounds, soon deciding someone is rifling through their belongings. She grasps the kunai under her pillow and takes a slow, quiet breath before whipping up and crying out, "I've caught y-… -ou?"

To her amazement, she sees none other than Jiraiya looking up at her from where he's rifling through his own bag. "Yuuki? Why are you awake?"

Yuuki drops the kunai on the pillow again. "I woke up and heard noises. I thought you were a thief."

Jiraiya shakes his head and tells her cheerfully. "Nope, I just got in! You go back to sleep."

Yuuki shakes her head, staring at his bag. "Why are you packing? It's the middle of the night. Were you planning to just leave me here all alone?"

Jiraiya sighs and sets down his bag, sinking onto the spare bedroll open on the floor. "I was going to leave you a note for when you woke. Something's come up that I have to take care of. It's urgent and cannot wait another night."

"It's the Akatsuki, isn't it?" Yuuki leans forward, eyes wide, jaw set. "Take me with you! I can help you!"

"No," Jiraiya meets her eyes, face filled with grim sincerity. "It's far too dangerous. It's not just a scouting mission; I might very well have to dance with these dangerous lunatics. And it is best for you to continue your training under my instruction, even if I'm not able to be physically present."

"But I don't want to train without you!" Yuuki's eyes fill with tears. "You're supposed to supervise me! You promised to make me a strong ninja!"

Jiraiya's voice rings out strong. "You are not the only one who needs me!"

Yuuki drops her arms from where she'd been clenching her fists near her stomach, a little shocked by the scolding tone of his voice as he continues.

"Naruto needs me just as much as you do. You know what has been locked within him by your father, and both of your parents gave their lives so the two of you could live and grow strong under my instruction. And right now, Naruto needs me to go out and do what I can to protect him, to keep him from being hunted for as long as possible.

"And as for you… could you really leave Naruto alone? To fend for himself, to have no one here for him?"

Yuuki looks down at the ground, feeling worse with every word, and deep inside her heart, she knows Jiraiya is exactly right. "I don't want to leave Naruto… but how will I get stronger without you? And aren't you supposed to teach him, too?"

"Yes, and I will. But first, I have to make sure you'll both be able to grow up to become strong ninjas. If the Akatsuki have their way, they'll either force Naruto to join them… or kill him taking the fox."

Yuuki gasps softly, looking up with wide eyes. "They want to kill him if he won't help them?"

"Yes," he replies, knowing the girl can handle the truth. "That's why he needs you here, not only to be his sister and to love him… but he also needs you to protect him, just in case."

Yuuki's head drops, her gaze landing on the floor, voice having dropped to a whisper. "But Jiraiya… what if you don't come back?"

Jiraiya rises and slides his hand under the girl's chin, lifting it so he can look into her eyes as he murmurs, "You know I'm going to come back, right?"

"But… what if you don't?" Yuuki's eyes show a hint of fear, not wanting to lose her godfather.

"Yuuki, I promise I'll come back, safe and sound." He smiles and kisses her forehead. "I always do. Besides, I still have to finish teaching you how to be a strong ninja, right?"

"Yeah, you do," Yuuki smiles a little. "So you better not forget about me! Or… or…"

"Or what?" Jiraiya smirks.

"Or I'll just… have to hunt YOU down!" Yuuki smirks back. "I'll hunt you down and MAKE you teach me how to be the best ninja ever!"

"The best ninja ever, huh?" Jiraiya puts his heavy hand on her head. "You really think you can become a better ninja than me?"

"ABSOLUTELY!" Yuuki cries, a fire of excitement burning in her deep blue eyes.

"Then you better practice and train hard while I'm gone. And don't forget the most important rule of all!"

Yuuki blinks up at him, "What rule is that?"

Jiraiya grins as he hugs her. "Always remember to think like a frog."

End flashback

Yuuki smiles a little to herself and snuggles further into the blanket, knowing that her godfather will always keep his promise.


End file.
